Dome damper



J. B. MEYER DOME -DAMPER Nov. 29, 1932.

Filed Nov. l, 1929 1L@ 15)/ ff/ Patented Nov. 29, 1932 UNITED STTES JOHNB. MEYER, OF DUBUQUE, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO THE ADAMS COMPANY, OF DUB'UQUE,IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA DOME DAMPER Application led November 1,1929. Serial No. 404,107.

My invention relates to fireplace dampers and has special reference tothe type adapted to be positioned directly above the fireplace openingand having a movable damper member arranged to be actuated from a point1n front of' and above the fireplace opening.

r `hese dampers have in the past been rather expensive, one reason forwhich has been the amount of machining required in their construction.It is necessary that the lid lit the frame rather closely to preventcold air from entering the room in which the fireplace is located whenthe latter is not in use. For this reason the lid has been made to fitwithin the iiue or throat openings. I have, however7 de vised a newarrangement when the damper may be constructed with a negligible amountof machining, thereby substantially reducing the cost of manufacture.

One of the principal objects of my invention is, therefore, thereduction of the cost of manufacturing dampers of this character.

Another obj ect of the invention is the provision of a damper whereindirt, soot, and

' 25 the like, falling down th-e chimney will be prevented from enteringthe fireplace.

l have also aimed to provide a damper employing an improved hinge whichmay be made entirely by casting operations.

A still further and important object of the invention is the provisionof improved means for rotating the lid, which is positive in action andlow in cost.

Other objects and advantages of my construction will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from the following description and theaccompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section throughthe center of my improved fireplace damper 4o showing the manner inwhich it is positioned in the lireplace;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the damper near one end showing thehinge construction, and

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the rear side of my damper showing the top ofthe lid.

lvlere the damper is arranged to be' positioned at the top of thefireplace between the fireplace proper and the chimney. The damperincludes a frame having side flanges 41 and 5 arranged to be positionedwithin the masonry of the fireplace and an angularly positioned dome 6adapted to direct the products of combustion up into the chimney. rlfhedome 6 is provided with side members 7 and 8 and end members 10, theside 8 having a greater portion thereof cut away to provide a throatopening 9. The throat is provided with coplanar edges 11 adapted tocooperate with a lid 12 in providing means for completely closing thethroat opening. A plurality of stops 13 are positioned along thejunction of they side 8 and the rear flangeA 5 and are arranged tosupport the lid 12 preventing it from sliding downward. The lid 12 is ofsuch shape as to completely cover the throat opening 9 on the rear sideof the dome, and is arranged to be rotated about its lower edge againstthe stop 13. A plurality of projections 14 having their lower ends 15bent through a right angle are positioned along the lower edge of thelid 12. Openings 16 are provided therein to receive Cotter pins 17 orthe like. These projections are arranged to be inserted in rec- T5tanguiar openings 18 positioned within the rear side of the'dome. Theseopenings are of such width as to loosely receive the projections 15 andof considerably greater length than is required for this purpose,thereby permitting the projections 15 to move angue larly therein as thelid 12 is rotated thereabout. rlhe cotter pins 17 are employed for thepurpose of preventing the projections 15 from accidentally slipping fromthe openings 18.

It will here be apparent that the edges 19 of the lid are arrangedmerely to overlap the coplanar edges 11 of the throat. In this manner nomachining of the contacting sur- 'faces is necessary to provide acomparatively tight joint. The same lwill be true at the lower edge 2Oof the lid which overlaps the edge 21 of the throat opening. Thisprovides a structure which permits the lid to be made entirely bycasting processes, the hinge formed by the projections 15 and theopenings 18 being capable of formation by such processes.

Referring now to the means for opening and closing the lid between thepositions shown in Fig. l, I have herein provided a novel arrangementwhich is singularly serviceable and free from operating troubles. I haveprovided an opening 22 in the front side 7 of the dome and an opening 23in the rear side 8 of the dome for the purpose of receiving an actuatingrod 24 which lies transversely with respect to the damper and projectsoutwardly in front to a point sufficient to permit the operating handle25 to be posi-l tioned without the front masonry 26 of the fireplace. A.thimble 2'? may be positioned within the masonry of the front brick workto conveniently support the handle 25 ltherein. A worm 28 is suitablypositioned on the rod 24 between the openings 22 and 23, and is providedwith a screw 29 to permit the former to be lixedly held upon the rod inthe desired position. In order to prevent the rod 24 from slidingendwise, sleeve portions 30 and 3l are positioned about the rod 24 oneither side of the worm to bear between the worm 28 and the abutments 32and 33 at the openings 22 and 23. A gear segment 34 is attached to theside member 7 by means of a pair of ears 35 and a bolt 36. rlhis gearsegment is arranged to engage the worm 28, rotation of the rod 24 andthe wo-rm 23 causing the segment to move through an are. A link 37 ispositioned on the forward end of the segment 34 by means of a pin 38which permits pivotal movement of the link. The opposite end of the linkis attached to the lower side of the lid 12 through ears 39 and pivotpin 40. A stop 41 positioned between the ears 35 is arranged to preventthe segment 34 from being rotated upward to a point where the lowertooth 42 thereof is out of engagement with the worm 28 and is arrangedto prevent movement beyond the dotted line position shown in F ig. l. Inthis position it will be apparent that the segment cannot be rotated outof cooperation with the worm whereby positive action of the operatingmeans is insured.

Y Here again the construction is such that all of the parts may beprepared by casting operations with substantially no machining. 'I heworm and segment are so arranged as to be positive in action, it beingimpossible for the operator to rotate the knob 25 to a point where thesegment 34 will no longer be returned when the direction of rotation isreversed. It will also be plain that a minimum effort is required inturning the handle 25 to open or close the lid 12 due to the worm andsegment and to the link construction. The lid 27 may be held in anydesired position, whereby any degree of draft through the opening may beobtained, or the lid may be completely closed shutting out cold air fromthe chimney. `While in most dampers of this character the lid turnsabout its center, I have arranged that the lid should turn about itsedge, and it will be seen that because of this construction soot, dirt,and the like which may have fallen down through the chimney during thewarm summer months when the lireplace is inactive, will be thrownbackward into the chimney opening when the lid is raised, and not causedto drop into the tireplace opening as is the case with the former typ-e.

While I have thus described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of myinvention, I am aware that numerous alterations and changes may be madetherein without departing materially from the spirit of the invention,and I do not wish to be limited except as required by the prior art andthe scope of the appended claims in which- I claim:

l. In iir-eplace damper having a triangular dome provided with a throatopening on one side thereof, a lid positioned over said opening, meansnear the lower edge of said opening for rotatably supporting said lid tomove between a closed and an open position, a gear segment rotatablysupported within said dome near the apex and intermediate the endsthereof, an arm pivotally connecting said segment at a pointintermediate the point of support and the gear surface thereof with saidlid whereby said lid is caused to move with said segment, a worm forrotating said segment to open and close said lid, and means for rotatingsaid worm from a remote point to open and close said damper.

2. In a fireplace damper having a trianguieelar dome provided with athroat opening on l one side thereof, a lid positioned over saidopening, means near the lower edge of said opening for rotatablysupporting said iid to move between a closed and an open position, agear segment rotatably supported upon and within said dome near the apexthereof, an arm having one end pivotally connected to said segment at apoint intermediate the point o-f support and the gear surface thereofand the other end pivotally connected to said lid, a .rod passinglaterally through said dome having support therein and projecting to apoint beyond the front of said dome, a worm on said rod cooperable withsaid segment to rotate the same, and a handle on the remote end of saidrod for rotating said rod to move said segment and rotate said lidbetween its positions.

In witness of the foregoing I aliix my sig* nature.

JCHN B. MEYER.

